1) Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to the field of telecommunication systems and, more particularly, to an improved system and method of delivering scheduled messages or announcements to a telecommunication user of an Alarm Call service.
2) Description of the Related Art
Telecommunication systems are constantly being enhanced and improved to provide increased functionality and flexibility for end users. One feature that has been available on some telephony systems is an Alarm Call service. In such an Alarm Call service, the telephony system delivers an Alarm Call message, consisting of a pre-defined alert or announcement(e.g., Wake-up, Happy Birthday, etc.), to a user at a prescheduled time. One popular example is a wake-up call wherein a user's telephone rings at a predetermined time, which was earlier scheduled by the user, to wake-up the user.
Unfortunately, these existing Alarm Call services are limited and inflexible. For example, the messages are limited to narrowband voice messages, or even just ringing the telephone handset, delivered over a narrowband telephony network to telephone handsets. The user may not receive messages which integrate data, voice and multimedia video, for example. Also, the user may not receive Alarm Calls on a computer screen, for example, or over a broadband bearer channel such as an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) line, broadband ISDN (B-ISDN), packet data, frame relay, Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) connection, or a broadband cable modem.
Moreover, users are limited to control procedures which can easily be entered by a Dual Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) keypad. Accordingly, a limited set of predefined control keystroke sequences are available to a user who may not be able to create a customized Alarm Call message.
Other limitations exist. Calls must be requested within a 24 hour period and will not automatically repeat after 24 hours, i.e., the user must request another Alarm Call the next day for the same time if such is desired. A user is allowed only one outstanding Alarm Call within the next 24 hour period. If a new or different Alarm Call is desired, then the user must first cancel the existing call and then schedule the new, desired call.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a system and method of delivering enhanced multimedia-type Alarm Calls to telecommunication users. It would also be advantageous to provide a system and method of delivering such Alarm Calls over wide bandwidth, multimedia bearer telecommunication connections. It would further be advantageous to provide an Alarm Call service which provides the user with more control procedures and flexibility than available in the prior art. Other and further objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.